1. Technical Field
This invention relates generally to a system for improving preservative chemical absorption in facing unglued edges of members in an adhesively-joined laminated structure.
2. Description of the Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98
Known methods for improving absorption of preservatives in wood structures include drilling holes into wooden railroad ties in locations where the holes will prevent splitting of the wood. If drilled prior to preservative treatment, the holes will provide additional surface area to absorb preservative chemicals and allow for increased treatment penetration of a single unitary piece of wood. Similar methods are used to improve preservative treatment of cylindrical or “round” timber by incising or forming holes or slots into the outer surface of a length of round timber and treating the length of timber with a preservative chemical.
However, these treatment methods are unsuitable for application to a laminated structure such as a wood laminate stack. Making incisions to each member of the stack is impractical, and the irregular holes of traditional incising techniques may increase the problems caused by accumulation of entrapped moisture between the members, and especially among interior unglued exposed facing edges within a wood laminate stack. Furthermore, traditional treatment methods would require that each member of a laminate stack be treated separately before assembly, where it may be preferable to use a technique that would enable treatment of the entire stack after assembly.